In The NoCo

How growing up in Colorado influenced Oscar-winning actor Hattie McDaniel’s career

By In The NoCo,

Published June 19, 2025 at 10:48 AM MDT

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A black-and-white photo of a woman with her hair pulled back in a bun and a dark blowse. — Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar. And she grew up in Colorado. Author ReShonda Tate told the story of her life after winning the Oscar in the book 'The Queen of Sugar Hill.'

Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar. The actor won for her role as Mammy in the film “Gone with the Wind.”

And McDaniel spent much of her childhood in Colorado: A plaque marks her family’s former home in Fort Collins. Growing up, she attended public schools in Denver.

McDaniel was in her 40s when she won the best supporting actress Oscar. And she used her platform to become a champion for civil rights. Today, in honor of Juneteenth, we’re exploring Hattie McDaniel’s story.

Reshonda Tate is author of the book “The Queen of Sugar Hill”, which explores McDaniel’s life and career. ReShonda spoke with Erin O’Toole and mentioned that there was a time when she had a hard time admiring McDaniel as an actor.

Rochelle Scott

Harper Collins Publishers

Hattie McDaniel's story as the first African American actor to win an Oscar is told in ReShonda Tate's book 'The Queen of Sugar Hill.' "What Hattie wanted to do was be an actor. She wanted to be judged on her talents and not on the color of her skin. And and there were times where she would feel that, and then reality would would hit," Tate said of Hattie's career.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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